Toyota’s RAV4 gets a makeover
Fifth generation of compact SUV/crossover retains its legendary Toyota quality
CARMEL, CALIF.— Hard to imagine when compact Crossover/SUVs weren’t around. Ah, the good ol’ days when we drove proper sedans...
But the launch 22 years ago of the original Toyota RAV4 — standing for “Recreational Active Vehicle four-wheel drive’’, even if some models were frontdrivers — started a segment which not even Toyota could have predicted would become so successful.
How successful? Apart from pick-up trucks, RAV4 and its arch-rival Honda CR-V now fight it out for bragging rights as the top-selling vehicle in North America. And while usually a vehicle in its last year of production dies with a whimper, the outgoing RAV4 is having its best sales year ever.
But nothing stops the onslaught of new models from the Toy Store.
The fifth-generation RAV4 hits showrooms later this year in gasoline-powered form, starting at $27,990 for the front-drive LE trim level, with fourwheel drive adding $2,700 to that. Hybrid models will follow next spring. When I say “new,” I really mean “new.” Apart from the engine and transmission, which see duty in other recentlyreleased Toyotas (albeit with different tuning), barely a nut or bolt from the old RAV4 is carried over. This is as all-new as all-new gets.
It is based on Toyota’s New Global Architecture (TNGA-K) platform, which also underpins such as the new Camry, Avalon and Lexus ES sedans.
Toyota has stayed true to the concept of the original RAV4 with the new one — why change?
The new architecture is more spaceefficient, enabling the new one to be slightly shorter in both senses (length and height), yet offer more room inside thanks largely to a longer wheelbase and to thinner seats.
It is significantly wider for more hip and shoulder room, and is also lighter by some 40 — 50 kg, depending on model.
Toyota calls the new RAV4 a “progressively rugged SUV’. It’s designed to be comfortable daily transportation, but also offer more off-road capability.
Customers say the main purchase reasons are styling, fun-to-drive, fuel efficiency and reliability. There are five trim levels, in gasoline and Hybrid versions, each appealing to different slices of this market.
There’s a boatload of new technology, new drivetrains, and increased off-road capability even if most RAV4 owners won’t tackle anything more challenging than a snow-covered driveway.
It remains a five-seat vehicle. A brief and largely unsuccessful foray into seven seats a couple of generations ago does not appear destined to be re-attempted.
It’s a strong-looking vehicle, with different trim details inside and out to identify the different grade levels.
Inside, special attention has been paid to materials that you actually touch, such as door handle grips, giving them a softer, higher-quality feel.
There’s plenty of room in very comfortable front seats.
Rear-seat riders get a pleasant surprise before they even get in — the doors open wider, and ingress and egress are eased considerably. As noted, more room back there, too. The cargo area has also been enlarged. A removable trunk floor lets the load area be flush with the opening for easier loading and unloading; if you need more space, pop the floor panel out to gain an extra 55 mm of depth.
Also, that floor is reversible — carpetted on one side for tender objects, plastic on the other for wet loads.
Toyota’s Safety Sense 2.0 suite of keepyou-from-killing-yourself-and-others is standard, and now includes the ability to detect cyclists during the day and pedes- trians at night. Most of the time, the alternative would be — y’know, just pay attention. But the ability to see pedestrians at night? That’s pretty important.
There’s also rear cross traffic alert, but as far as I can see, still no alert for goodnatured traffic...
The aforementioned engine is a 2.5 litre four cylinder, generating 203 horsepower. To it is bolted an eightspeed automatic transmission, in place of the previous six-speed.
Front-wheel drive is standard although in Canada most RAV4s are sold with four-wheel drive.
Oh, and if you haven’t seen this rant before, “four-wheel drive’’ is the correct term, even if nobody else uses it. I mean, a six-wheel vehicle with all six wheels driven is also “all-wheel drive’.”
Why not be more precise when it’s so easy?
Two distinct 4x4 systems are offered on RAV4. On LE and XLE grades and on all Hybrids, it’s a conventional part-time system that runs mostly in front-drive but which can direct up to 50 percent of torque to the rear wheels as needed.
On gasoline-engined Trail (called “Adventure’’ in these United States, due apparently to some copyright problem, either here or back home) and Limited grades, there’s a new system which incorporates a differential in each rear half-shaft.
These can lock progressively and independently; if one rear wheel loses grip, the system sends the power to the other rear wheel. In concept, it is similar to the system used in Ford’s late, much-lamented Focus RS, and Jaguar’s E-PACE.
The entire rear-drive function automatically disconnects if it realizes you don’t need it — this to save a few millilitres of fuel.
The first thing you notice when you get into the new RAV4 — apart from those softtouch parts of the door trim — is the view. The ‘greenhouse’ (the glass in front, beside and behind you) is deep and high. You almost feel like you’re sitting outside.
The side-view mirrors are triangular in cross-section so you see past them, not try to see through them.
These help make visibility outstanding. And in this part of the world, there’s lots of nice things to look at.
It takes a while as it always does to figure out how to shut off the annoying Head-Up display (I get it; some of you like it. I don’t. Too distracting.) Likewise the lane departure warning system, and how to decipher the touch screen, which is seven or eight inches, depending on trim level. I know, I know — I’ve lost the touch screen battle, but again, you simply can’t work one of these things and pay attention to the road at the same time.
You can get Apple CarPlay, but — not yet, anyway — Android Auto. Some sort of battle over privacy of data, I gather.
You can also get a rear-view “mirror’’ — that in parentheses because it it doesn’t have to be a mirror; flick a switch and it’s a mini-TV screen which is fed by a camera at the back of the vehicle. Yes, just like Cadillac had a bunch of years ago.
And just like in the Cadillac, I found my eyes took about a second and a half to focus on the image shown on that screen. That’s a long time to not be able to see what’s behind you.
True, it gives you a wider field of vision, and is particularly handy if you’ve got big people or loads of cargo in the back of the vehicle.
As with the Cadillac, it can be switched off to become a regular mirror. As with the Cadil- lac, I love the concept. The execution? Not ready for prime time...
There are five USB ports. Yep, one per passenger. Still probably won’t be enough for some families, but it’s better than most.
An open bin in the centre console has a textured surface, presumably designed to coddle a cell phone. Not in Quebec though — my sources tell me that having a phone out in view in your car will now earn you a ticket. Best put it away. Once underway, the engine provides decent acceleration, and the transmission shifts al- most imperceptibly.
However, the engine gets decidedly noisy when you lean on it, getting downright harsh in the upper rev ranges. Fortunately, the eight-speed transmission means you seldom have to rev it that hard. In normal cruising, it’s all suitably restrained.
I drove it up and down the Laureles Grade east of Carmel, one of my favourite roads in this area, and what really impressed was the handling. The rackmounted electrically-assisted steering has decent feel, and the vehicle always felt well-planted.
We also took a gasoline-engined Trail RAV4 onto a fairly significant off-road — well, um, “trail’’. I stopped on the steepest uphill stretch to see if the trick rear axle could get me started again. And it did, no issues.
Not incidentally, because this is critical for many SUV buyers, the Trail model is rated to tow 3,500 pounds (OK, 1,590 kg). Then into a RAV4 Hybrid. Here, the 2.5 lire four runs on the so-called “Atkinson’’ cycle, meaning the valve timing is radically different to decrease fuel consumption to the detriment of power.
It produces 176 horsepower at 5,700 r.p.m.
The deficit is filled in by a pair of electric motors, one up front, one at the rear, generating 118 and 54 horses respectively.
These numbers aren’t necessarily additive because the power is generated at different speeds. Toyota rates the system at 219 horses combined.
For whatever reason, the engine in this tester, which is essentially the same mechanically as in the non-hybrid, wasn’t anywhere near as loud.
True, the electric motors — silent as they are — are doing some of the work some of the time. But even after the battery had essentially depleted itself and I was revving the engine close to the 6,600 r.p.m. red line, it still sounded much quieter.
Now, these were pre-production prototypes, although the noisier gas-engined model is closer to its sale date than the hybrid is. We’ll have to check out production vehicles when they start arriving.
The CVT transmission in the hybrid behaved itself decently, feeling almost like a conventional autobox but with quicker throttle-induced downshifts than the conventional automatic because there is no actual shifting going on.
There’s just a hint of the ‘motorboating’ sensation many drivers dislike about CVTs, with the engine seemingly unconnected to the drive train.
Mind you, that characteristic of CVTs is also associated with how they generate such good fuel consumption, so you give a little, take a little.
And, the Hybrid is not only more fuel-efficient, it’s also quicker in the 0 — 100 km/h sprint by about a second compared to its gasoline-engined sister.
Toyota Canada has reduced the price hike needed to get into a RAV4 Hybrid. At the moment, hybrids account for some 10 — 15 percent of sales, and they hope to perhaps double that.
Even being as optimistic as possible, that would still mean non-hybrids will outsell hybrids 70 percent to 30 percent. If Calgary had outscored Ottawa 70 to 30 in last week’s Grey Cup game, they would not have given the Cup to the Redblacks.
I guess gasoline just isn’t expensive enough, recently hovering around a buck a litre. On a per litre basis, it’s still about the cheapest liquid you can buy in most gas stations. Priced a bottle of water there recently?
As always, the value of a hybrid depends on your typical driving day. You’ll get a maximum of about 40 km on battery power if all conditions line up (flat roads, warm weather). Past that, you’ll be running almost solely on the engine and carrying around a bunch of what just became dead weight.
If you’re mainly an in-town runner, it will pay off. That’s why almost all New York City taxis are now hybrids. But if you live in Guelph and commute daily to Scarborough, not so much... But that’s the beauty of choice. Either way, you’ll get a solidlybuilt, handsome, roomy and capable vehicle that feels good to drive.
And, it will be built in Canada. After this week’s horrible news from Oshawa, that’s not to be sneezed at.